Time running out for Children’s Health Insurance Program

State Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) is among the state lawmakers calling for Congress to renew funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

PLATTSBURGH | As many as 350,000 children statewide may lose health coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) if Congress doesn’t renew funding.

Federal funds are expected to run out early next year if Congress does not reauthorize the program, which primarily serves children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.

Congress did not renew the program when it expired on Sept. 30, and state officials are pushing Congress to act.

“In rural communities like the North Country, we already face difficulties with health care due to limited accessibility and lack of coverage by providers,” said state Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) in a statement. “We should be working to improve health care not only for our children, but for all residents.”

CHIP provides federal matching funds to states for the program. New York receives about $1 billion annually for its Child Health Plus Program, which provides preventative care, including routine checkups, immunizations, doctor visits, prescription coverage, as well as dental and vision care.

The program has reduced the number of uninsured children in New York from 700,000 in 1996 to 100,000 in 2017, according to materials provided by the governor’s office.

“Children with chronic health conditions are most at risk, as being uninsured or underinsured forces parents to make difficult decisions about maintaining appropriate levels of care and acquiring needed medications,” said Essex County Health Director Linda Beers.

One of the department’s essential functions is to assure access to healthcare, Beers said, and one way to increase access is through CHIP.

“Without these services, a greater burden is placed on (Essex County Health) as a safety net agency or children will go without insurance,” she said.

A federal shortfall would mean the state would have to make up the funding difference — or choose not to — when it is already facing a looming $4 billion budget deficit.

Jones said the loss of funds would be “devastating” for local communities and would divert funding from crucial state programs for education, infrastructure and economic development.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker have also called for Congress to take action.

STEFANIK SUPPORTS

The GOP-led House passed a bill along party lines last month to reauthorize funding for five years, and the Senate is working on companion legislation.

While both parties agree the program is vital, they disagree on how it should be funded.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) voted in favor of the bill.

“This critical healthcare legislation provides a five-year extension to the CHIP program that so many children and low income families rely on,” Stefanik said in remarks on the House floor.

Over 21,000 children utilize CHIP in New York’s 21st Congressional District, she said.

The bill also included two-year extension for funds for community health centers, and averts a Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital reduction of $5 billion.

STOP-GAP MEASURES

Funds are projected to run out before the end of the year if Congress doesn’t pass a short-term funding resolution to keep the federal government solvent.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the federal funding, has been awarding millions in emergency funds to states in danger of running out, the website The Hill reported on Monday.

Researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families issued a report in October that revealed five states — Arizona, California, Minnesota, Ohio and Oregon, as well as Washington, D.C. — are predicting they will run out of funding by the end of the month or early-2018.

“This delay in funding CHIP is really unchartered territory and puts at risk the nation’s success in covering children,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University center, in a statement.

The Senate Finance Committee recently passed an extension bill, but didn’t specify how it would be paid for.

“We need to make sure the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is expiring, gets to panel before the end of the year,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to the Hill.

Jones, the state lawmaker, said CHIP shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip.

“It’s up to our federal representatives to protect and preserve the programs that so many people rely on,” he said.

Tom Flanagin, a spokesman for Stefanik, reiterated the lawmaker’s strong support for the program.

“We expect there to be a provision in the short term funding bill this week to allow CMS to give states that are running short on CHIP funds the ability to use other available funds to ensure the program operates through the end of the calendar year,” Flanagin said in an email on Tuesday. “She is working with her colleagues to ensure that CHIP and Community Health Center funding is also included in any longer term funding deal that is negotiated.”